Women, Whisky And ‘the Other Room’

Why hold for International Women’s Day to observe women? A commemorative time is simply a bully excuse, true, but we don’t request to hold to recognise nan contributions of female and female-identifying individuals to nan drinks industry. Right? Right.

When I put retired a telephone connected my societal media to inquire for nan contacts of inspiring women who activity successful whisky, my inbox was flooded pinch names, property releases and, astir hearteningly, whisky professionals commending their contemporaries and friends. “The manufacture is getting amended astatine giving women in installments for nan activity they do,” whisky pedagogue and writer Kristiane Westray told me, noting that blender Margaret Nicol astatine Whyte & Mackay, who started successful nan manufacture measurement backmost successful 1974, has only precocious been successful nan spotlight. Similarly, Maureen Robinson, who worked successful whisky for much than 45 years, was inducted into nan Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame arsenic precocious arsenic 2020. “There are besides much women studying Stem subjects [science, technology, engineering and mathematics], which is usually a request successful roles specified arsenic distilling and blending.”

Support from wrong nan manufacture is important to these women’s success, which is wherever nan OurWhisky Foundation comes in: this non-profit, established successful March 2022 by Becky Paskin, supports women moving successful whisky internationally, and has nan backing of nan wider industry. Its dedicated editorial output (managed by award-winning drinks writer Millie Milliken) is simply a bulletin for women’s wins successful nan industry.

On nan user broadside of things, are we seeing much women there, too? A fewer months ago, popular diva Sabrina Carpenter was named as nan caller look of Johnnie Walker, which, though it received a mixed reception from manufacture professionals, made thing very clear: brands are targeting a female assemblage correct astatine nan nascence of their drinking habits, to unafraid nan whisky drinkers of nan future. (I uncertainty galore 60-year-old old-school whisky collectors will beryllium scrambling for nan Johnnie Walker because Carpenter put her sanction to it, but I mightiness beryllium wrong.) That assemblage is growing, too: women now dress up 36% of whisky drinkers, up from just 15% successful nan 1990s. I asked Fikayo Ifaturoti, laminitis of Cellar Atelier, a vino and spirits consultancy, if she’s noticed an uptake successful her female clientele: “I’ve seen women’s engagement deepen, but whisky still feels for illustration ‘the different room’: admired by many, yet seldom invited into their collections,” she says. “For galore men, whisky has agelong carried generational meaning – a begetter passing down a bottle, a toast astatine milestones – but women are often written retired of that narrative.”

Distillery experiences, for example, which thin to beryllium built astir clay shooting aliases fishing, seldom ideate really different audiences, particularly women, wish to engage. “Why do we spot typical editions for Father’s Day, say, but not for Mother’s Day?” Ifaturoti asks. “The adjacent frontier is nan marketplace, and to trade experiences pinch women successful mind arsenic good arsenic men.”

Four whiskies defined by women

Laphroaig 10-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky £31 (on offer; 70cl) Waitrose, 40%. Extra-smoky whisky from senior blender Sarah Dowling.

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12-Year-Old Whisky £35.50 (70cl) Tesco, 40%. Smooth, rich | and made by Dr Emma Walker, JW’s first female maestro blender.

Nc’nean Organic Single Malt £51.75 (70cl) The Whisky Exchange, 46%. This female-founded brand, started by Annabel Thomas, takes its sanction from nan queen of spirits.

Uncle Nearest 1856 Whiskey £70.75 (70cl) The Whisky Exchange, 50%. All syrup and sultanas, and crafted by fifth-generation maestro blender Victoria Eady Butler.